Sounds like you have the makings of a lovely garden, Kyla! What a nice variety of seeds! Hope that body of yours holds up, by dinkum, because we want to see the photos once it's all growing!

I think Rudbeckia hirta is a good example of a plant that resists our attempts to categorize it. I've seen it classified as a perennial, a self-seeding biennial, and an annual. I had 'Denver Daisy' in my garden last year and was pleased to see it sprouting again. Aha, I thought--it's definitely a perennial! Well, then it bloomed and imagine my surprise when it was 'Prairie Sun' -- one of 'Denver Daisy's' parent plants! So it had obviously reseeded and reverted to its parent plant. But if it had *looked* the same I would never have known that it wasn't the same plant re-emerging, but its offspring.

Oh, good point, Catmint.

And regarding the newer cultivars not being all that creature-friendly etc -- well, it just sounds like what happened with roses. Many utterly gorgeous varieties with no scent whatever....

I like some variety -- I mean, we literally could have a coneflower forest here but it's all that same one! and I'd just like some contrast, etc. But at the same time I lose interest when it all gets to be so many different, new blabbety blab. Well, except for daylilies which I can'tbegin to afford the brand new ones but oh man are they luscious.



But I'm not really tempted so much -- I only have so much space and so much energy and what's important to me in the end is having a garden where all the creatures that need to be there can flourish.

Yes, I've tended to do a lot of 'experimenting' with different types of plants--one of this, one of that, see how they do, see how I like them, and so on. I like the diversity, and diverse gardens are more resilient if a certain type of bug or disease takes hold of one species. But at the same time, I need to create more 'stands' of certain types of plants to draw the pollinators in, so as they fly by they look down and say, 'mmm, what's that I see? looks yummy' and then they fly into my yard where I can enjoy them!

'having a garden where all the creatures that need to be there can flourish'--love it!

@kylaluaz, I've heard very good things about that book, The Well-Tended Perennial Garden.

I don't have a lot of gardening books, but that's one that I'd probably get at some point.

@SSGardener you've created a wonderful stand of the Monarda, which really brought the hummingbirds in this year!

Welp, I made some good progress this evening with discovering how to download photos from my camera to this computer. Enough progress that I'm going to take some pictures tomorrow, and then we shall see! I'm excited about this. I haven't played with my camera for two years because I could not figure this out (it's an oddball operating system on this computer, which is one I bought when I lost my Mac and this was what was available -- long story.)

I needed somebody who could talk me through a few things and somebody just did! So, I'm delighted!

@Catmint20906, I don't think I've actually "created" anything in my garden! The strong survive and the weak get eaten up by various bugs or fungi. I got a few sad looking monarda at a swap a couple of years ago and they decided to spread out. Unfortunately, the last remaining monarda took quite a beating with this rainstorm.

Kyla, I'm looking forward to your pictures!

@SSGardener, you are too modest as always! Love seeing your photos of all the Monarda.

Kyla, I'm looking forward to seeing your photos, too!

Of course I went out first thing, with my camera. I still have some technical challenges but got one fairly nice shot of the red coreopsis.

Two more from this morning, the rosemary in front of the red hibiscus and a closeup of the hibiscus bloom with an ant.

Oh goodness, I have some catching up to do!

@Roses, that is really cool about evite, I'd never heard of it before. Sounds like you've got a GREAT party in the making!!

@Kayla, WOW, you're really making that yard look beautiful, I love the pics you've shared!! That red Coreopsis is gorgeous as well.. I am a BIG fan of Coreopsis!!

@Catmint, I really loved your pics of the Echinacea and the pollinators, just beautiful!!!

Very good point (Kayla, I think it was a point that you'd made), about plants' designations as annuals or perennials being "man-made", when it's not necessarily so. I agree with you; it's the plants/nature that decides what will be what, depending on what the temps n' stuff are doing each particular year. We ("men") try so hard to compartmentalize things, fit them into neat and tidy little boxes to make them easier to deal with, but in reality, when it comes to nature, NOTHING fits in those little boxes. That is the beauty of this wonderful Creation we call Earth.. and its Creator!

That is a gorgeous bloom Kayla, and what a cute little ant! heeheeheee

OK, just a few more minutes snooping around on here, and then I will haul my lazy carcass outside and get busy... really honest!!

Love that hibiscus and rosemary Kyla! They both look so healthy. Looks like Rosemary's a good companion plant for hibiscus?

Well, they are certainly gorgeous next to each other! Quite a contrast.

I don't feel I can claim much credit over there -- well, the rosemary looks way better than it used to due to regular waterig and some soil amendments added around it, and I have no idea how the hibiscus would have gone, without the amendments there but it would probably have been okay. All I did with it was cut the last year's dead stalks off when the new basal growth was well enough established that I knew what was happening. My cousin didn't know whether it would bloom from the old stalks or not. She loves her yard but is not what you could call a gardener. And I have not worked with hibiscus at all before, so had to learn a little from the plant.

I think so much of it depends on how well the planting site matches the individual plant's needs in terms of light, soil, moisture, drainage and so on. Just never possible to perfectly locate every plant!

True. But there is also care and understanding of watering needs and soil needs. She's learning though!

True that. I know I'm still learning!

Oh, yeah, aren't we all! I was just thinking a little bit ago about the sayings about gardeners and how many plants we kill, though I can't think of one right off. I expect I've killed a couple out there already, trying this that and the other thing.

I am so excited right now! Not only did I receive my 20 daylilies I ordered from a sale here, I also received three ginger rhizomes I ordered -- there's an experiment for you! I'm told by the grower it will be fine to plant them now and there will be planting instructions in the box. Both boxes are in the cool basement awaiting my eager attention in the morning.

More exciting if you can believe it is the shoes I got this afternoon! I have been gardening in flip-flops and I hate that. Plus I don't think it's good for my feet, you know, leaning on shovels and stuff.

So Costco had these water shoes made by Jeep of all people, called J 41 or something, and they are the bomb! They feel so good and they're easy to get in and out of and they will probably last longer than I will and I didn't have to pay huge money for them, so, Yay!

And then, my shopping buddy, the gal who has a jungle of a garden because health issues have prevented her working there, gave me three large dark green and very attractive square plastic planters. She gave me two smaller ones (though still large!) just the other day. Even though I am gardening in the ground, I love having containers to work with also and this is a real gift.

She also had a really nice shrub rake which I have been missing having -- which she has no use for right now.

So I scored!

Sounds like a terrific day all around, Kyla! 20 daylilies, wow! Which varieties did you get?